by Fleet, Ricky
“Sarge, can I volunteer for the kitchen instead?” Loco asked, sarcastically. “I think I’d prefer to cook the paste.”
“Stow that shit, Green!” Smith thundered.
“You’re a stone-cold killer,” Hardie added. “It’d be like caging a lion.”
Loco’s cheeks flushed at the praise.
“Exactly! Now shut the fuck up and get your ass moving!”
“Aye, Sarge,” she replied.
Slipping into the suit, they were astonished at how unrestrictive it was. Interlinking plates of alloy gave the impression it would be clunky and cumbersome, like knights of yore in their ancient suits of steel. The craftsmanship was exceptional, with each piece moving in perfect symmetry with those around it. The soldiers found themselves squatting, jumping, twirling, and flailing their arms to test the flexibility.
“Doesn’t even feel like you’re wearing anything, does it?” Smith asked.
“It’s amazing,” Andy exclaimed.
“Those suits are rated for ten minutes against the infected.”
Zip frowned. “Huh?”
“They’ve been tested on live subjects. It took the strongest ten minutes to penetrate the shell.”
“I don’t know whether to feel comforted for myself or pity for the poor bastard who was in it,” Andy remarked.
“We didn’t put a person inside, for fuck’s sake,” Smith said without further elaboration on what they had actually used to tempt the creature.
“Your helmets are held in place by a microscopic layer of Anelivium within your protective collar.”
“It’s held in place by a magnet? Is that good for us?”
“The collar is also a shield from the magnetic field which is given off when we energise it. The eggheads have added a nanofiber to the material which reflects the waves.”
“Wouldn’t Velcro be easier?” asked Loco.
“Absolutely! Easier for them to tear it off and eat your face, that is.”
“Point taken, Sarge. I like my face.”
“I like your face too, Green. That’s why I’d prefer it to stay attached to your skull. Now get your helmet on.”
Slipping it on, the world became muffled. A low hum indicated the mounting was secure and the sound returned.
“Try and pull it off,” Hardie urged.
Much grunting ensued. Teng planted a foot on Andy’s shoulder to get a better grip, snarling with the effort. Zip managed to slam Loco to the ground with her attempt. Defeated, the soldiers lined up, panting from the exertions.
“It’s held in place by a force equivalent to three hundred pounds per square inch. Nothing is getting those bad boys off.”
“Onboard cameras relay everything back to central command to be studied,” continued Hardie.
“What if I need to take a piss, Sarge?” asked Teng.
“My advice would be; don’t stare at your own pecker. You’d only end up on the peewee hall of shame back at command.”
“I thought these things had a zoom function?” Teng replied, tapping his visor.
Loco nudged him in the ribs. “Not even the Hubble Space Telescope could help you with that!”
“I’m going to insist the next time I’m cloned they add six inches,” Teng grumbled.
“You only want a seven incher?” Zip teased and Teng burst out laughing.
“Are you done?” Smith demanded, trying to hide his own grin.
“Yes, Sarge. Sorry, Sarge.”
“In that case, pick up your rifle and do a test of your onboard scopes. You only need to concentrate for the display to change.”
Andy retrieved his weapon and moved to the final range. The targets were over five hundred metres away, little more than specks on the horizon. Lining up the sights, Andy let loose a couple of shots that missed by several feet. Focussing his mind, a small portion of his screen changed to an opaque close up of the grotesque mannequins. Lining up the crosshairs, his enhanced physique was able to eradicate any wobble in the aim. Popping off three more shots, the chest cavity exploded from the perfect placement of the bullets.
“If we’d had this tech during the outbreak, we’d have kicked their asses,” Andy said, awestruck.
“Indeed. But we didn’t, so here we are. Did everyone’s display work correctly?”
Four affirmatives confirmed they had.
“Good. You’re going to go one at a time so pick your order. The route through the village is prescriptive, so don’t try and deviate from the course that’s laid out. If you get confused, you’ll find arrows on the ground to guide you back to the right path. Understood?”
Loco nodded slowly, then cocked her head in confusion. “Sarge, can I ask something that’s been bothering me since our eye test?”
“I’m on tenterhooks, Green. Go ahead.”
“Why don’t the S and A-class operators just use the night vision tech in the helmets?”
“That’s actually a sensible question.”
“Don’t act too surprised,” huffed Loco.
“It’s because the lunatics in my squad don’t have the luxury of wearing armour out there. Our suits are designed to conceal instead of stand up to prolonged punishment.”
“That makes sense.”
“Remind me at some point over the next couple of days to give you a demonstration.”
Turning to the remaining troops, Hardie said, “While you wait, use the time to keep practicing with your weapons. You can try on your assigned helmet and get acquainted with the scope capabilities.”
Following the order, the others busied themselves with the task. The master sergeants escorted the team to the entrance, peering into the retinal scanner to open the gate.
“Ready?”
“Yes, Sarge.”
“Happy hunting,” Smith grinned, sealing them inside.
Chapter 11
“Andy, you’re up first,” said Zip.
“Ok.”
He moved forward cautiously. The preparation area gave way to a carefully constructed village ruin. It was as if they were walking out of a house onto a street in any typical suburban neighbourhood in the world. Moving down a debris covered path, he crouched behind the front garden wall and looked back. The others stared from the exit which was designed to look like the front door of a house, broken windows and the brooding dark from within glooming over them.
“This should be interesting. I’ll see you at the finish.”
Andy took in the scene. A tangle of crushed vehicles sat to the right, blocking his path. This was what the master sergeant had meant by prescriptive. Arrows indicating left, he moved to concealment behind another car.
The clear route would take him around a curve in the road towards a taller structure which he couldn’t quite see. Scanning for any threats, he crouched low and ran to the next vehicle. Like jack in the boxes, three dummies sprung up in the broken windows. Taking a knee, he popped three expert shots, in under two seconds, straight through their foreheads. With the threat neutralised, the system removed the targets.
Hurrying forward, Andy took up position with his back against an upturned truck. Seeing movement in the dark windows of the ruined homes, six more mutants moved forward into the light in a staggered sequence.
Pop. Pop. Pop.
The three in the eastern row of houses were destroyed.
Pop. Pop. Pop.
Heads exploded in the western windows before the tracks rolled the decapitated figures out of sight.
Cradling the rifle in low ready, he spun from cover and jogged down the road. Emerging onto the junction, the right-hand turn was alive with a horde of the creatures rolling at speed towards him. Switching to fully automatic, Andy strafed the massed bodies. Clouds of white powder and chunks of plaster scattered across the concrete as the mannequins crumbled.
“Switch to sidearm. You’re going inside,” ordered Hardie over comms.
Slinging the rifle, he withdrew the pistol and ran through the small carpark at the front of the supermarke
t. The glass frontage was intact, and Andy was guided through the open double doors by well-placed shopping trolleys. Taking a half second to adjust to the gloom, his instinct indicated something was amiss. Dropping and rolling forward, he barely avoided the two mutants that fell from ceiling mounts. Double tapping the cast figures, the pulleys withdrew them, heads missing with a gaping cavity in their chests.
The store was pitch black, but the night vision had fully compensated, and he moved forward. A currency exchange booth lay to his right, fake cash spilled all over the floor. A memory flashed into his mind of a holiday abroad. The Greek islands. Mykonos. His daughters’ swimming in the communal pool while he looked on adoringly. Applying suncream to the tanned back of his beautiful wife. Innocent times. Returning to the present, the wonderful memory faded, leaving an aching void in his heart. The pain would vanish in time; he was finding it harder to hold on to the past with each passing hour. One moment he remembered their every feature, the next they were faceless puppets. A heavy weight crashed into him, sending him sprawling amongst the dead currency. The attacker glowered, arms extended, razor clawed fingers ready to eviscerate.
“Fuck!” Andy muttered, shooting it twice in the throat, causing the head to detach and shatter on the ground.
Jumping to his feet, Andy cleared the checkouts for any hidden threat. Out of the ten produce aisles, eight were purposely blocked with fallen shelves or fake goods, leaving two open paths. Opting for the meat aisle, he passed realistic looking steaks, whole chickens, ground beef in packets, ham joints. It was enough to make his mouth water. A disturbance from above caught his attention. From either side leapt a dummy on its Mechanical arm, then two more, then four, herding him towards the other end. Sprinting away, arms reached from the shadows to snatch him. Dropping to the polished tiles, he slid the remaining ten feet. Aiming back over his head, Andy switched to full auto and destroyed the pursuing monsters. Rolling onto his front, he quickly regained footing and scanned the back of the store. A set of wrecked double doors was the only way to go.
Pushing through the hanging plastic into the cold store, the stacked pallets left a plethora of places for the monsters to conceal themselves. Carefully clearing each blind spot, the attacks were starting to get monotonous. A dropping mutant. One jumping from the gloom. By the end of the warehouse, Andy was practically strolling through.
What’s the matter with you? he wondered. It was totally out of character for him to be so nonchalant about such an important test. Get your mind right for fuck’s sake!
In the rear yard, three lorries were backed up to the loading dock, trailer doors wide open. Knowing the likelihood of the threat within, Andy unleashed a few short bursts into each.
So much for tactical. Hardie’s going to tear you a new one.
Hopping down from the platform, Andy moved quickly towards the half open gate, scanning the dark void beneath each vehicle as he passed. Moving to the exit, he looked up and down the road to see if it was clear. Pushing at the chain-link, the steel squealed as it scraped against the ground. Sensing a vibration, he spun round. Hidden chutes below the trailers opened, pouring out automated creatures. It took a second for him to realise the dog sized beasts were in fact rats, their four-inch-long incisors bared. Streaming forward, he couldn’t shoot them fast enough to hold them back. Bodies exploding, the robotics inside the automatons fizzled and sparked from the damage. Turning around, he ran through the gate and slammed it shut. Their combined weight pushed it straight open, causing Andy to desperately look for cover. Nothing presented itself. The remote-controlled monstrosities were hot on his heels as he fled down the street. More streamed from alleyways and open drains, converging on him. The only available path was over a fence and through a park. With one hand on the metal rail, Andy vaulted the barrier and hurried on. The sounds of pursuit died away and he risked a quick glance backwards.
Clever, very clever, he mused as they retreated back to their source.
Plastic trees and bushes lined the grounds. The rustle of imitation grass under his boots was the only sound. Passing a children’s play area, Andy paused. Tiny skeletons were scattered far and wide. Bones littered the base of the climbing frame. Small skulls screamed silently from the bench where someone had neatly arranged them.
Sick bastards.
His little girls had played in places like this. Giggling with delight as gravity pulled them down the stainless-steel slides. The feeling of weightlessness as Andy had pushed them on the swings, higher and higher until they could take no more.
A shadow rose from behind, dwarfing his own on the pale ground. Before he could move, a powerful blow knocked him down. A weight settled on his back, crushing him into the earth. Unable to move or breathe through the compressive burden, Andy flailed around, trying to bring his pistol to bear. If only he could get a few shots off! Aiming blindly, the trigger clicked.
“And you’re dead.”
The sound of Smith’s voice precipitated the removal of the suffocating load. Rolling onto his back, Andy stared up at the massive, mutated lion. Drawing air into tortured lungs, his mind reeled at the sight. The hair of its mane was thicker, almost wormlike. Staring closer as his vison cleared, Andy could see small mouths at the end of each strand. Four eyes had replaced the mundane two, and its snout was a hellish, fanged abomination. Three rows of daggers sat inside the maw. The skin was a mottled purple, with prominent veins covering the muscular hide. Only the front legs of the model were Mechanically controlled, which allowed it to swipe and pin the soldiers with the huge paws.
“They don’t kill you with those,” Smith explained, moving into sight and reaching up towards the teeth. “They use them to hook you and swallow you alive.”
“That can’t be real,” Andy huffed, taking the master sergeants hand.
“I’m afraid it is. I’ve fought them out there. And worse… far worse.”
“And the rats?”
“Them too.”
“Holy shit.”
“Our friends out there have all the material they need to create the stuff of nightmares. Thankfully, the animals aren’t as prevalent as the human mutants. The initiative has a theory that the virus has more difficulty replicating their cells. Whatever it is, I thank the gods.”
“How much does that thing weigh?” Andy asked, taking in the huge proportions of the creature.
“About twenty tonnes when fully grown,” he replied, patting the plastic shell. “This little lady is equivalent to one about six tonnes. A baby.”
The twin hatch of the creature’s hiding place opened, and the hydraulic system started to lower it into the housing for the next soldier. Stretching out, Andy knew he was going to feel it in the morning.
“No claws?” he groaned the question.
“The real things have them, retractable things like all cats. They don’t use them unless attacking Mechs or other armour. Our feline infected like to toy with their prey, much like their ancestors.”
“How did you know I was going to stop here?”
“Probabilities, son. Thirty four percent of recruits get caught out by the dead children.”
“And if I’d ignored them?”
“We had more surprises in store.”
“Shit!”
“No one ever beats this simulator, that’s not the point. It’s designed to give you a small taste of what it can be like out there; you never take anything for granted, and you definitely never allow yourself to get distracted.”
“What about a gun that won’t fire?” Andy remarked angrily. “That could get me killed out there too.”
“Here, let me see,” asked Smith. Taking the pistol, he fired the full magazine into the air without issue.
“What the hell?” gaped Andy, checking over the weapon as the sergeant handed it back.
“We deactivated it,” Smith said, grinning.
“That was a dick move, Sarge.”
“Hey, I’m not the one who was prancing around the warehouse without a care
in the world. We figured you could do with a bit of a shock.”
“Sorry about that.”
“I get it, son. It’s hard to truly understand what it’s like when they’re just plaster or plastic. You’ll be facing the real thing soon enough, don’t worry.”
“How did I do until I got pinned like a mouse?”
“Best results yet by a wide margin. You’re going to kick ass out there, soldier, I can feel it.”
“Thanks, Sarge.”
“You’re welcome. Now let’s head to the observation suite and we can see how Downing gets on.”
Chapter 12
The recruits marched in formation towards a hangar of immense proportions. Wreathed in a morning mist, the end of the structure couldn’t be seen, just a merging of reinforced metal into lazily drifting vapour. Warning signs were mounted every ten yards informing the base of the live fire taking place within. Below the image of a flashing muzzle were the second signs containing a biohazard symbol.
“Squad, halt!” barked Master Sergeant Hardie and the synchronous footfalls came to an abrupt end.
Andy stared forward, waiting for the next order. The faintest chatter of heavy gunfire carried through the walls to the troops.
“Squad, left face!”
As one, the forty soldiers turned and stamped their right foot onto the concrete.
“At ease!”
Everyone complied and for the first time they could see the words above the huge roller door. Mech Training was painted in black letters eight feet tall.
“The next part of your assessment is to check the level of your neurological capacity to psy-link with the onboard Mech systems. Piloting the machines is not just pulling levers and pressing buttons, it requires you to form a symbiosis between flesh and Jajovium alloy. Some of you will excel, while some of you will just stand there unable to move, but don’t worry. You all have a place in the Sovereign Guard and this takes us one step closer to finding it.”
Turning to the access panel, Hardie placed his palm on the scanner and waited. A white strobe flashed, picking out the unique impressions on his hand. With a dull rumble, the doors commenced their rise, drawn aloft by chain links an inch thick.